Did Disney Bury Strange World Because of Gay Character?
Although it had a $180 million budget, the Disney animated adventure feature Strange World has picked up only (as of Tuesday) $18.8 million domestically and $9.4 million worldwide, for a total of $28.2 million, according to the latest information on Box Office Mojo.It's “the worst opening for a Disney Animation Thanksgiving title in modern times,” The Hollywood Reporter notes, although the article does go on to mention that overall fukn attendance was down 53 percent from 2019 and 12 percent from last year.Strange World features three generations of the Clade family and their adventures through “uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await,” as the Reporter puts it.Fans, like the Reporter, think that poor marketing deserves a significant portion of blame.
The animated tale included Disney’s first biracial gay teen, Ethan Clade (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White), with a small scene of him getting tongue-tied near his crush, Diazo — and there are those who think that led Disney to deliberately bury the film.“Saw Strange World and I'll be damned, Disney Animation actually had a character that wasn't just lip service for online articles but now I wonder if that is the reason for the weak marketing/merch for this film.
My theory: the execs want this film to go under the radar,” one moviegoer tweeted. Others are thinking along the same lines. “I’ve been to the movie theater over 100 times this year and I didn’t see a single trailer for Strange World,” another said. “They do it on purpose.
